OUR MISSION
Ensuring Snow Leopard survival and conserving mountain landscapes by expanding environmental awareness and sharing innovative practices through community stewardship and partnerships.
Ensuring Snow Leopard survival and conserving mountain landscapes by expanding environmental awareness and sharing innovative practices through community stewardship and partnerships.
Photo by Steve Tracy
Photo by Steve Tracy
Photo by Tashi R. Ghale
Photo by Alexander Kuksin
Photo by Bjorn Persson
Photo by Steve Tracy
Photo by Steve Tracy
Photo by Tashi R. Ghale
Photo by Alexander Kuksin
Photo by Bjorn Persson
The Snow Leopard Conservancy is a non-profit organization based in Sonoma, California, formed in 2000, working in partnership with local communities in eight of the twelve snow leopard range countries to ensure snow leopard survival through environmental awareness programs and by promoting innovative stewardship practices.
WHAT WE DO
We work with local partners and herder communities, the front line in preserving the biodiversity of Central Asia’s high mountains, by providing technical and financial assistance for activities linked to stewardship and biodiversity conservation. Our programs build community ownership of projects, long-term self-reliance, and ecosystem health. We involve communities in non-invasive baseline research on snow leopards, their prey and habitat, blending western science with indigenous knowledge.
WHY WE DO IT
There is less and less land for the wild animals in our world. Saving this iconic species has been our life’s work. Our task is to help local communities keep livestock depredation from snow leopards at a manageable level while increasing incomes and strengthening stewardship of alpine ecosystems. We will know we have done our job when Central Asia’s herders recognize and act upon the greater worth of having a live snow leopard rather than a pelt of one that took their livestock.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES
Working in so many different countries and in such remote areas leads to difficulties communicating with our in-country partners. Not to mention, dealing with the rugged mountainous terrain, the brutal cold of winter, and the extremely high elevations is challenging. Travel is slow and arduous, and electronic communications are limited. And the varied regulations and required permits, limited accessibility, and other bureaucratic obstacles create roadblocks to snow leopard conservation.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR SNOW LEOPARDS
Youth of Baltistan – Laying the Path For Successful Conservation of Wildlife
The Conservancy's partner, the Baltistan Wildlife Conservation and Development Organization (BWCDO) works with local communities in Pakistan. Project Manager Ghulam Mohammad explains that the BWCDO's methods are based on the belief [...]
Local Communities Making Strides Toward Saving the Snow Leopards of Baltistan
The Baltistan Wildlife Conservation & Development Organization (BWCDO) works with local communities in the Baltistan region of Pakistan. Their philosophy is that sustainable and continuous conservation can only be achieved by [...]
Foxlights – Helping Herders Coexist with Snow Leopards in Nepal
Dolpa District, Nepal - Prime snow leopard habitat - Photo: Tshiring Lhamu Lama In late 2021, a Foxlight nighttime predator deterrent pilot program was launched in the Dolpa District of [...]
A mother snow leopard and her cubs caught on a camera trap video in Pakistan by our partners the Baltistan Wildlife Conservation and Development Organization (BWCDO). What an amazing accomplishment for this snow leopard mother to bring 3 cubs through to adulthood in one of the most rugged and remote locations on our planet! And what a delight to see all four of them together and to hear her communicating with them as they make their way along the mountain path – an excellent sign that conservation measures in this region are working.
